[Analysis of factors associated with the quality of life in patients with non-small cell lung cancer who received outpatient pemetrexed maintenance therapy].

Increasing number of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer are receiving outpatient maintenance chemotherapy. It is very important to maintain these patients' quality of life(QOL). Pemetrexed has been reported to be an effective maintenance chemotherapy. However, its effects on the QOL of patients with non-small cell lung cancer who are undergoing outpatient maintenance chemotherapy are unknown; therefore, we conducted this study. To investigate factors that influence the QOL of these patients, we provided a QOL questionnaire,"The QOL Questionnaire for Cancer Patients Treated with Anticancer Drugs(QOL-ACD)"to 7 patients with non-small cell lung cancer. The medical factors related to the overall QOL scores, as well as other categories indicating"activity","physical condition","psychological condition","social relationship", and"face scale", were analyzed. No significant reductions in any of the factors were observed in this study.

[Effect of Japanese traditional medicine, TJ-41, on quality of life of patients with non-small cell lung cancer receiving outpatient chemotherapy].

An increasing number of patients with lung cancer are undergoing outpatient chemotherapy. It is very important to maintain good quality of life(QOL)for these patients, and Japanese traditional medicine, TJ-41, has been reported to improve the QOL of patients with advanced cancer. However, the effect of TJ-41 on patients with lung cancer undergoing outpatient chemotherapy is unknown. Therefore, we conducted this study. To investigate the factors influencing the QOL of these patients, we distributed a QOL questionaire,"The QOL Questionnaire for Cancer Patients Treated with Anticancer Drugs"(QOL-ACD)to 11 patients with non-small cell lung cancer. The medical factors related to the overall QOL scores and other categories, indicating"activity","physical condition","psychological condition","social relationships","psychological condition"and"face scale"were analyzed. A significant decrease in each of the factors was not observed in this study.

[Bevacizumab with platinum chemotherapy as 6th-line treatment in a case of non-small-cell lung cancer].

A 64-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for 6th-line chemotherapy. Chest X-ray film and computed tomographic (CT) scan showed right-sided pleural thickening with multiple lung tumors. Repeated treatment with carboplatin (AUC 6), paclitaxel (200 mg/m(2)) and bevacizumab (150 mg/kg) on day 1 every 21 days was effective for this patient. Chemotherapy with bevacizumab may be effective for patients with multi-recurrent adenocarcinoma.

[Analysis of factors associated with quality of life for older adult patients with non-small cell lung cancer receiving outpatient gemcitabine therapy as an alternative inpatient therapy].

An increasing number of patients with lung cancer are undergoing outpatient chemotherapy as an alternative to inpatient therapy. To investigate the factors influencing the quality of life (QOL) for these patients, we administered a QOL questionnaire, The QOL Questionnaire for Cancer Patients Treated with Anticancer Drugs (QOL-ACD) to 8 older adult patients with non-small cell lung cancer. The medical factors related to the overall QOL scores and other categories indicating activity, physical condition, psychological condition, social relationship, psychological condition and face scale were analyzed. No significant decrease in each factor was observed in this study.

Decrease in pyridoxal-5'-phosphate concentration and increase in pyridoxal concentration in rat plasma by 4'-O-methylpyridoxine administration.

Food poisoning from Ginkgo biloba seeds can cause epilepsy because of a decrease in γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) concentrations in the brain. We previously demonstrated that 4'-O-methylpyridoxine (MPN) is responsible for this observed toxicity of G biloba seeds; however, the mechanism for the decrease in GABA and plasma concentration profile of MPN has not been clarified. Our hypothesis is that MPN induces a decrease in vitamin B6 concentrations, resulting in a decrease in GABA concentration. This study aimed to characterize the plasma concentration profile of MPN and intrinsic vitamin B6 concentrations (pyridoxal [PL], PL-5'-phosphate [PLP], and 4-pyridoxic acid) using a rat model. Plasma concentrations of B6 vitamers after intravenous MPN administration (5 mg/kg) were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography with a fluorescence detector. The half-life of MPN (0.91 ± 0.05 hours) was shorter in rats than the previously reported value in humans. We found a significant decrease in the plasma concentration of PLP, an active form of vitamin B6, after MPN administration. We also observed an increase in plasma PL and 4-pyridoxic acid concentrations; the increase in PL concentration may be caused by either metabolism of MPN to PL or by MPN-mediated inhibition of PL kinase. The present study is the first in vivo study showing relatively rapid elimination of MPN in rats and a decrease in plasma PLP concentration caused by MPN.